Many articles are stored and offered for sale today are sold in synthetic resin containers. The form and composition of such containers varies. Typically, it is desirable to provide a relatively secure closure to withstand the intended storage environment. However, many modern packages either fail to meet this objective or are of limited utility.
In addition to many different shapes, containers are found to be formed from a number of different materials such as polyolefins, polystyrenes, polyacrylics, polyesters, polyethers, blends and copolymers thereof. Containers may also be formed of environmentally friendly materials such as recycled plastics or renewable cellulose composites.
In many instances the desired properties of the final package in its intend storage/dispensing environment, e.g. rigidity and strength, control the selection of materials and fabrication techniques. Common fabrication techniques include injection molding, blow molding, and stamping.
One common container form now employed in both vending applications and point of sale displays are plastic "eggs" formed by injection molding of a plastic possessing sufficient rigidity to provide a protective "shell". One example of prominent use of such containers is in the hosiery field. It is not uncommon to find hosiery packaged in appropriately sized and colored eggs.
In the bulk vending arts, capsules are often used to dispense small toys or measured amounts of confectioneries. In such uses, it is necessary that the capsule be sized to be compatible with the dispensing mechanism of the vending machine. Such capsules are typically rigid and provide a standardized peripheral configuration for otherwise irregularly shaped articles. Thus, such articles which would not otherwise be dispensable from the bulk vending machines can be so dispensed.
Lacking standard size, without the shell provided by dispensing capsules, many products would be excluded from the coin operated bulk vending field because a single machine is not be able to accommodate the wide range of irregular configurations of items typically subject to dispensing from such vending machines, e.g., candy, nuts, toys, rings, decals, etc. Conventional capsules now in use define a non-spherical, irregular periphery. These capsule allow for a product to pass through a typical bulk vending machine, which, for example, features an uppermost storage globe, an intermediate hopper housing a rotatable merchandise wheel for dispensing discrete units to an underlying discharge chute. The most common capsule forms now employed are oblong, elliptical, or somewhat hemispherical. As such, the irregular shell generally requires a greater volume than would more uniformly shaped capsules.
The need for capsules in bulk vending is particularly acute when dispensing irregularly and non-uniformly shaped articles. Without the outer shell, such articles would because frictionally engage and jam in and bind the rotating merchandise wheel within a hopper. Thus, the machine is unable to perform its intended function. By sealing such articles within a plastic dispensing "egg" the prospect of such jamming is reduced by providing smooth translation of the merchandise container from the storage hopper, through the merchandise wheel, to the dispensing chute.
Typically, the "egg" shaped containers have an oval/oblong appearance or are in the form of "half-eggs" which include a hemispherical half and a snap-on, rounded, cap. In either form, the resulting container is capable of receiving and retaining one or more selected articles. While such containers provide the advantages mentioned above, they also present certain problems. For example, due to the non-uniform peripheral shape, considerable storage space is wasted due to irregular packing. Secondly, because the curvature of an egg is not uniform, the rolling and translation characteristics of the egg will differ within a mechanical depending on its starting orientation. Accordingly, an oblong "egg" container cannot be used effectively with a new generation of visually dynamic vending machines such as those described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,833,117, issued Nov. 10, 1998 and assigned to assignee of this invention. Additionally, many capped conventional egg containers include a rounded bottom portion formed of one type of plastic (e.g., polystyrene) while the rounded lid or cap is made from another type (e.g., polypropylene) which provide different optical characteristics and feel.
The shape uniformity problem has been recognized and addressed, in part, by a spherical capsule for bulk vending has been disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,064,073. However, that capsule is of a generally one piece construction with a small capped opening. The size of the opening substantially restricts the possible applications and limit the capsule to dispensing, liquid, particulate, or items so small or compressible that they can fit through the limited diameter opening.
Thus, there is a need for a spherical capsule capable of general utility and providing uniform appearance and adequate strength particularly suited for use in the vending industry.